ISLAMABAD: Participants of the Young Leaders Conference (YLC) discussed development issues facing the country on the second day of the six-day event. The flagship event of the School of Leadership, 16th YLC is an annual conglomeration of 300 youth representing diverse socio-economic and cultural groups from across Pakistan. The second day was about ‘Development Leadership’, as the focus moved on to the role of youth in our society. The second productive day of this insightful conference began with premier trainer and Director at School of Leadership (SoL) Umair Jaliawala providing the sequential context for the day’s theme, helping participants see the links between the various sessions and activities. He also assisted participants in understanding the framework through which they could channelize their infinite energy for positive change in the society. Hilton Pharma conducted the morning yoga segment with trainer Wajahat followed by a panel discussion on ‘Mental Health.’ A plenary segment titled: ‘Young People Powering the SDGs’ followed. It was moderated by FaizaInayat and included Dr Quratulain Bakhteari, Shahrukh Wani, Sadaf Taimur and Henriette Bjeorge amongst the panelists. During the session, designed the familiarise participants with Sustainable Development Goals, the participants got the opportunity to learn from the panel who shared their insights in an interactive session on diverse issues related to education and environment. Building upon the SDGs, these participants were engaged in an activity to explore real life challenges in Pakistan related to education and environment, their root causes, coming up with preliminary solutions to achieve Sustainable Development Goals under mentorship of industry experts. The participants were then given 2 minutes per team to present their ideas under the jury; FaizaInayat (British Council), Hira Hafeezur Rehman (UNICEF) and Henriette Bjeorge (UN Women). Kirsty Campbell, a strategist from Scotland, delivered a keynote session on ‘By standing the Victims of War’ which explored issues of international by standing and the changing nature of international conflict. The session was followed by dinner as day two of the conference came to a close. YLC is an annual conference that serves as a platform to groom and launch exceptionally talented young people into the world as successful leaders. It offers exposure to worthwhile causes, networking opportunities, and learning sessions, presented by over 50 expert speakers, from different fields. YLC 2017 is being held at the Dreamworld Resort in Karachi from July 26-31. Published in Daily Times, July 29th , 2017.